BATON ROUGE - A 3-year-old girl was shot to death Friday night in a shooting between two vehicles that left one overturned in a ditch, police said.

Authorities were called to the 500 block of South Flannery Road around 9 p.m. after shots were fired at a driver from a passing vehicle, police spokesman Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said.

During the gunfire, the driver of the car in which the girl was a passenger lost control, careened off the road and overturned in a ditch, McKneely said.

Police identified the child as Ibrie Combs.

"We're not sure of the details yet," he said, but the girl was the only person shot. The driver of the overturned car was taken to a hospital with other injuries, he said.

"It's just heart-wrenching that this has happened," McKneely said.

Police did not immediately have a description of the other vehicle involved.

"Our guys will be working all night on this shooting, all weekend on this shooting," he said.

Mayor Sharon Weston Broome and Police Chief Murphy Paul arrived at the crime scene around 11 p.m. The city's 2020 homicide count is significantly higher than typical for this point in the year and may break a record for annual killings. 

Broome released the following statement overnight:

"What happened tonight is absolutely unacceptable and my heart is heavy. There are too many questions that need to be answered. The Baton Rouge Police Department will thoroughly investigate this case and get justice for the family and loved ones. The community has to honor this child’s life. If you know who did this, please contact the authorities immediately."

McKneely said investigators hope someone saw the other vehicle as it fled the scene, and that the witness will contact police.

He asked that anyone who noticed anything unusual in that area at that time to report it.

"Please give us a call," he said.

Anyone with information about the crime can contact police at 389-2000 or Crime Stoppers at 344-STOP.